A farm in southern Tennessee that produces chickens for Tyson Foods was ordered to cull its flock after federal officials on Sunday identified an outbreak of lethal avian influenza there, the first time the disease has struck this year.

Some 73,500 birds had to be culled over the weekend at the farm in Lincoln County, Tenn., an operation raising so-called breeder birds, which lay the eggs that become chickens for meat. The Department of Agriculture has not yet fully identified the specific strain of the H7 virus found at the farm.

The U.S.D.A. has also established a quarantine on chicken farms around the area, and Tyson said it was testing chickens on such farms to determine whether the disease had spread.

“All flocks located within a six-mile radius of the farm will be tested and will not be transported unless they test negative for the virus,” Tyson said in a statement on its website. “Based on the limited scope known to us at this time, we don’t expect disruptions to our chicken business.”

Tyson also said this was “a bird health issue and not a food safety or human health concern,” adding that “there’s no evidence to suggest that any form of avian influenza can be transmitted to humans from properly cooked poultry.”

Other major chicken producers told Bloomberg News that they were increasing biosecurity measures across their operations.

An avian flu epidemic led to the culling of some 48 million chickens and turkeys from late 2014 through mid-2015, dealing a crippling blow to American egg producers, as well as to some turkey producers and backyard poultry growers. Authorities believe migratory birds are primarily responsible for spreading avian influenza, though a 2015 analysis by the U.S.D.A. also described a human role in spreading the disease.

The broiler chicken business escaped that outbreak, and in general is less susceptible to avian flu because its birds, which are used for meat, are slaughtered at 45 to 60 days old, so the birds rotate out of barns far more quickly. Broilers are also raised in flocks of tens of thousands of birds, whereas barns used for egg production can house 300,000 or more birds.

Last year, there was one reported incident of deadly avian flu in the United States, which affected a turkey farm in Indiana. The poultry industry has increased its biosecurity efforts since 2015, establishing practices for cleaning transport trucks before they enter a facility and limiting access to essential workers.

South Korea was the first country to announce a ban on imports of United States chicken and eggs after the announcement of the Tennessee outbreak. The country has itself been fighting an avian flu outbreak, culling 34 million birds so far this year.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B3 of the New York edition with the headline: Bird Flu Prompts Culling at a Farm for Tyson Foods. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe